Social services blasted after missing chances to save tragic tot Poppi Worthington
Three generations of her family had been taken into care
TRAGIC Poppi Worthington died after eight warning signs stretching back nearly 50 years were missed, a report revealed yesterday.
Children across three generations of her family going back to the 1960s had been taken into care.
Poppi’s mum ran away from home at 15. She then moved in with an abusive couple.
She fell pregnant and the baby was taken into care.
The mum, now 31 and who cannot be named for legal reasons, then shacked up in Barrow, Cumbria, with Poppi’s dad Paul Worthington — who was 17 years older than her and had been living on the streets.
She failed to seek antenatal care until she was into her 20th week of pregnancy with Poppi.
And she hid the fact Poppi suffered an agonising double leg break, discovered only after she died aged 13 months in December 2012.
Finally one of Poppi’s siblings was noted by healthcare professionals as being “sad and withdrawn” but they did not follow up.
The Serious Case Review by Cumbria Local Safeguarding Children Board admitted these “traumatic life events” should have been seen as warnings.
But chairwoman Gill Rigg insisted there was nothing to suggest Poppi’s death “could have been predicted or prevented”.
A second inquest will be held.
A judge ruled in January that Poppi’s dad, 48, sexually assaulted her before she died.
He denies any wrongdoing and has been in hiding while charges are considered.